


A Different Kind of Heaven

by tollie



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angels, Canonical Character Death, Demons, F/F, Heaven, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-27
Updated: 2012-07-27
Packaged: 2017-11-10 21:22:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/470828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tollie/pseuds/tollie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Jo dies, Anna guides her on her journey through heaven -- and the afterlife is no cakewalk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work was started in October of 2011

Jo opened her eyes, not actually aware of having closed them.Looking around, she still wasn't sure of where she was, but it looked strangely like Harvelle's Roadhouse.Only different, somehow...

_Oh._ It was the Roadhouse, as she just barely remembered it, before the bar had been torn out and replaced (due to a nasty demon incident), and the seats and tables reupholstered due to years of wear.

_I must be dreaming_ , Jo thought.She turned around, and caught a glimpse of a face she hadn’t seen in years.A lump formed instantly in her throat, as her father walked up to her, smiled and lay his hand fondly atop her head, as though she were ten years old again.

“I’ll be home soon, pumpkin,” he said.She remembered this.This had happened before.The heavy door to the bar swung open, and John Winchester’s head poked through, face gruff and eyes as weary as ever, though a little younger than she remembered him.

“Bill,” he said, in a tentative voice that said he knew he was interrupting a family moment, but was too full of the hunter’s lust for revenge to give it too much care. “We gotta hit the road, come on.”

Jo’s eyes flitted back to her father’s, which were glinting with tears as he looked down at her.He pulled her close, and she heard (not felt; suddenly her whole body was numb except where her father’s hands were curled around her shoulders) a soft whimper escape her lips.

“Don’t go,” she said.“Please.”She was clinging, tugging at his sleeves.“Please.”

But he didn’t hear her.How could he?On his end, the memory played out exactly like it had in real life – he ruffled her hair, bent down, whispered, “Take good care of your mom” – and walked out the door.And from that hunt, that one _favor_ he owed John Winchester, despite what he had said to her, he never did come back.

Jo’s legs almost gave out beneath her, and she sat down on one of the old bar stools.She closed her eyes.“Well if this is a dream,” she said to herself, “what the fuck am I supposed to do now?”

When she opened her eyes, she was in her room.Her belongings were strewn about, and her knives laid out on her bed, in order by length and use.The sun was shining, whereas moments before it had been winter.There was an open suitcase on the floor, half-packed with clothes and mementos, but mostly full of weapons, useful books and papers she’d picked up here and there, and other various hunting paraphernalia.Jo recognized this layout.She recognized this day.

This was the day she had left home to hunt on her own.

She remembered the sense of elation she’d had, the sense of being _worth_ something, as she carefully selected which belongings to take and which to leave behind.What would she _need_ , she had thought, to take on demons, ghosts, zombies, and all manner of other creatures?What could she do without, and what could give her an edge – one that, say, someone who _hadn’t_ grown up in Hunter HQ A-1?

She had felt like a total badass, that’s what she’d felt like.And then she’d gone out, and realized that the life wasn’t all the glory-addled has-beens who frequented her mother’s bar made it out to be.But she’d still done it, for her father, and for all the poor, ignorant, _innocent_ people out there who needed to be saved.Not to mention for herself.The sense of being worth something—that had been real.

Jo picked up one of the knives, twirling it between her fingers.She’d left this one behind, but it still felt familiar in her hands.

“It’s not a dream.”

The voice came from behind her, and it made Jo jump – and a jumpy Jo Harvelle with a knife in her hand is not something you want to be on the wrong end of.But the face behind it was somehow familiar, although she was sure she’d never met this woman before.She was petite, with hair like fire and big, saucer-like eyes that struck Jo more than anything.More than her soldier-like posture, or the way she just seemed to have appeared there out of nowhere (reading Jo’s thoughts while she was at it), Jo was struck by the strange woman’s huge, dark, _hypnotizing_ eyes.

“Who are you?” she said, lowering the knife slowly.

“I’m an angel,” she said, taking a step forward.“My name is Anna.”

“Right.”Jo looked her up and down.She’d met angels, and she knew that in their human vessels they looked just like anyone else, but every time she met one she was at once struck by both how normal and how _otherworldly_ they seemed.

“And what is this?” she continued, indicating her surroundings.“I mean, besides not a dream?”

“This is Heaven,” said Anna, matter-of-factly, as though she were announcing the day of the week.But Jo felt her words like a blow to the stomach.

“Excuse me?”She gave the angel a look that would have withered any normal person, but Anna’s face remained stoic.“This isn’t like any Heaven I’ve ever heard of.”She shook her head.“If this is Heaven, I never want to see Hell.”

At this, Anna actually smiled, if only a tiny bit.Jo peered at the angel’s face, unsure of whether she was being made fun of or not.

“Don’t worry, Jo Harvelle.You never will,” she said, and Jo was a little astonished.The smile had been genuine, then.“Aren’t you going to finish packing?” Anna continued.

“Wh—what do you mean?” Jo said, glancing at the suitcase and at her knife collection on the bed.“This already happened.I already left.”She peered into the angel’s dark eyes.“I’m dead.What am I packing for?”

“This is the beginning of your journey,” Anna said.

“Well, yeah, this was the beginning of pretty much my entire adult life, not that that lasted very long…” Jo said, crossing her arms.This evasive crap those angels liked to pull was starting to severely grate her nerves.

“I mean, this is the beginning of your journey in heaven,” said Anna, stepping closer yet to Jo, who, despite reeling back a little, stood her ground.“What are you going to bring with you?” she said, turning and surveying the knife collection.

Jo followed Anna’s gaze, not entirely sure why they were arming themselves for their journey through heaven.

“This one,” she said suddenly, picking up one of the daggers in the “miscellaneous/unknown” pile.“I’ve never known what it was for, but Uncle Bobby said it was Enochian when I asked him.That’s the angel language, right?”

“Yes,” Anna replied, taking the knife and examining it.“This is an angel-banishing blade.It was forged in the fires of Hell itself.”Jo looked at her in astonishment, but Anna smiled, a nearly imperceptible lip-twitch, once again.“Do you remember where you got it?”She held out the knife, offering it to Jo, who took it, examining the tiny letters etched in the metal.

“Yeah…” she said.It was a weird story, and not the usual, Hunter’s Life kind of weird.It had freaked her out so much at the time, she’d never told anyone about it before.

“Someone gave it to me…” she continued slowly, turning the metal until it became warm in her hands.“In a dream.A woman…”She looked up and her eyes met the angel’s.A sudden realization dawned on her, and she knew why Anna’s face had seemed so familiar.

“It was you,” Jo breathed.She thought she caught a glimmer of something in the angel’s eyes before she looked down – was it regret? – but she continued.“I don’t understand.Why did you give me this?Anyway, what’s the use of banishing angels here?I thought this was Heaven.”

Anna looked at her, and every time she gave her one of these looks, Jo felt like she was running around without a cover on her soul.“I saw this in your future,” she said.“I hoped I could prevent it from coming to pass. But I was too late.You gave your life—” and although her expression remained rigid and stoic, Jo was nearly moved to tears by the grief in Anna’s eyes – “for a worthy cause.And I could do nothing to stop it.”

Jo reached out to touch the red-haired woman’s arm, tilting her head toward the angel’s in compassion.“What is it?What’s happening?”She couldn’t be this upset about Jo’s life being lost. _I’m no one special,_ Jo thought.

“This is Heaven,” Anna said again, but this time continued.“But there is unrest.There are things to be feared, even here.”

Jo grinned wryly, trying to take in everything she was hearing.“You know, for a second, when you said this was Heaven, I thought I was done with all that crap.Guess not, huh?”

“You may face difficulties,” she said, nodding.“But know,” she said, peering into Jo’s eyes once more, “that I am here as always to protect you.”

With that the angel disappeared, leaving Jo peering around in shock.Taking a deep breath, she composed herself, and the first thing she did was tuck the angelic knife into her sock, making sure it was secure.

She looked down at the rest of her collection, wondering whether she’d ever need the majority of these again – some were iron, meant for repelling ghosts (at least that was what she used them for) and some were silver, meant for demons – some were just aesthetically pleasing and useful, as they all were, in a fight against a regular human.She shrugged, and swept them all off the bed and into her open case.

“Might as well take the whole kit-n-kaboodle," she said, zipping up the case.With one last look around her room, the same as she had done once before, Jo stepped out the door and closed it behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo runs in to someone from her past, and someone from Anna's as well.

Jo wished harder than ever that she had waited around to say goodbye to her mother that day of her first real hunt.

The street outside the Roadhouse lead her to a bus stop that she was pretty sure hadn't been in that place before.  Even so, it felt familiar to her, like everything here -- it seemed "Heaven" was just a jumble of her life, of times she felt most important or most like herself.  This time it was a bus she had taken out of town to see a friend.  They had talked about going on a job together.  Details of the memory swam in her mind's eye as she lugged her suitcase up the steps of the bus that pulled up as though on cue as soon as she arrived at the stop.

But something was different this time.  In the first two memories -- apart from Anna -- everything had been the same.  Something was subtly off; so subtly, in fact, that Jo almost thought she was imagining things.  She sat down next to an old couple, resting her case on the floor next to her.  Their eyes shifted darkly, and the woman across from her seemed to be staring outright.  The bus began to roll along the long, celestial road and Jo shuddered, hoping it wouldn't take too long for them to reach a destination.

She began to hear whispers from the back of the bus.  She could see no one talking, but all the same, the hiss of breath and tick of teeth against tongue echoed off the walls of the confined space and seemed to surround her.  Jo glanced at the driver, a stout man with a grey tuft of hair protruding from under his hat.

She got up, wobbling slightly with the motion of the bus, and approached his seat.  "Excuse me," she said, but he didn't look up from the road, nor did he indicate that he'd heard her.  Perhaps she was being paranoid, and the others on the bus had looked at her the same way that day she'd gone off on her first hunt.  She decided to try again, this time touching the driver's polyester-clad shoulder in an attempt to rouse him.  "How soon is our next stop?"  He ignored her again, oblivious to her presence.  She hadn't spoken to him on the bus ride -- why would his memory react to her now?

But as she made her way back to the seat next to the elderly couple and across from the young woman, their gazes followed her.  Jo curled herself into a ball in her seat, turning her face away from the other passengers, as though if she couldn't see their staring eyes, they couldn't see her either.  She sat there, shivering, ears covered to avoid the sounds of whispering, until the bus finally rolled to a stop.

Grasping at her suitcase, she moved swiftly to the front of the bus.  The sound of the air-lock releasing on the doors was like a sigh of relief.  Jo scrambled down the steps, and, shaken by the creepy bus ride, collapsed on a nearby bench, head in her hands.  But a movement in the corner of her vision caught her gaze, and her head snapped up.  Someone had followed her off the bus.

It was the elderly woman, one half of the shifty-eyed couple who had been seated next to her.  Her face was distorted by the shawl but she looked somehow different.  She removed the shawl as she came nearer, revealing a masculine face and bald head.  Jo thought she recognized that face -- if only from a dream.

"Who are you?" Jo stood up, preparing herself to fight -- or run.

"My name is Zachariah," he said in a voice that was like a growl.  His features twisted into a sickening grin.  "I'm an angel of the lord."

"You're here!" came a voice from behind her, so spirited and almost carefree that Jo felt momentarily as though she were being jarred from a dream.  No such luck.  She  whipped around, looking for the source of the noise.  In a case of perfect timing, the young woman with whom Jo had met up with on her first big hunt was running up to greet her just as Zachariah closed in on her.  She ducked, slipping the angel knife out of her pocket, avoiding both the young woman's embrace (unbeknownst to the woman, who followed through with the hug as though Jo had reciprocated) and the angel's grasp.  She ducked out of the way, straightened to a standing position again, and drove the knife into Zachariah's shoulderblade.

He disappeared in a flash of white, but, Jo reflected, according to Anna's words, this knife could only banish angels.  He could come back.

Jo turned to the woman who was still babbling at the place where Jo had been standing.  "Sara," she said, more to herself than to the woman, but Sara responded, to Jo's surprise.

"That's me!" she chuckled, and Jo realized she was merely replying appropriately to something Jo had said the day they'd met here.  "Anyway, we'd better get going if we're going to make it to that haunt tonight."  She pointed, indicating Jo's suitcase.  "Do you want me to put your stuff in the trunk?"

They packed up Jo's things and got into the car.  Jo had forgotten the ease with which they had interacted at the time; she was still shaking from her altercation with Zachariah.  She had also forgotten Sara's propensity for talking about herself.  But, Jo found, her voice was warm and soothing.  She didn't mind so much.  This meant Jo didn't have to fill in very many silences on their ride to the haunting site.

"My mom says I'm crazy," Sara was saying now.  "She says I have a choice, so why would I choose this?  But I think she had more of a choice than I ever did.  I think it's impossible to be raised in the Life and just... give it up."

Jo and Sara had both been raised by Hunters -- this was how they knew each other.  When Sara's parents split up, she'd come to stay with the Harvelles for a number of weeks, during which she and Jo had become close.  Sara 12 and Jo 11, they had spent much of their time trading their respective knowledge of hunter life and lore, perhaps even more eager then to emulate their parents than they were now.

Not now, Jo reminded herself.  This is only a memory.

They pulled up to the house after a few minutes, and thankfully Sara popped the trunk so that Jo could retrieve an iron knife and a bag of salt from her case.  She remembered this job -- a cut and dry case of a haunted residence.  She looked wistfully up at the house, abandoned for the time by its owners who had come to Sara for help, knowing only that she dabbled in such things.

Jo had been so full of purpose then.  Her lifelong yearning to be something bigger than herself, to be a hero, like her father, seemed so easily within her reach.  Now look what that had gotten her.  A hero's death.

She followed Sara into the house.

"I found out the body had all been cremated," the other girl said.  Jo stayed close to her.  As they crept silently up the front hallway, a chill swept over them.  Jo could see her breath.  "The family cleared out all of her old stuff when they moved in, so it's probably not in any of the spaces they regularly occupy.  I pretty much have it figured out, except where the remains are that were left behind.  I just didn't want to go in alone -- I mean, I know you have some experience actually fighting these kinds of things," Sara continued in a loud whisper.  "Besides, we always talked about going on a hunt together when we were kids."

Jo nodded, although she knew that this memory of Sara would not be offended if she failed to acknowledge her.

"I'm going to look downstairs," Sara said.  "Do you want to take the attic?"

Jo handed her the iron knife, and made for the stairs.  The lock of hair was in a small leather box in the corner of the attic, Jo recalled from the first time she'd resolved this case.  She tossed aside various cardboard boxes of mementos belonging to the family that lived in the house, without the regard she would have had for their belongings if this weren't merely a convincing facsimile of a real home.

Just as she reached the box she knew to contain the tiny lock of mouse-brown hair, she heard a scream from downstairs.  Jo fumbled in her pocket for a lighter, pulled it out and flicked it open, holding the tiny flame underneath the hair, which disintegrated in her hands in a puff of black smoke. 

But the screaming didn't stop.

"Sara?" Jo breathed. She stuffed the lighter back into her pocket,  hurtling past the haphazard mess of strewn boxes and down the stairs toward the sound.  She sounded like she was in pain -- but that was impossible.  The ghost on her first hunt hadn't been a poltergeist, or anything that could cause physical harm -- just a restless spirit.  Jo's heart was hammering in her chest.

"There are no poltergeists in this realm, child," said a gravelly voice from behind the cellar door.  Jo swung it open to see Sara, pinned up against the wall, and a demon -- smoky and black, with dark pits for eyes, in its true form -- pinning her there.

"Ah," the demon said, loosening its grip on Sara, but not enough for her to escape.  She struggled all the same.  "Joanna Harvelle.  You're the real prize here -- but we'll get to you in time."  The creature turned back to Sara, and began to filter itself into her mouth, but before it could do so, Jo lashed out with the angel knife. It was only a hunch -- Anna hadn't said anything about using it against demons -- but it worked.  The demon disappeared, its smoky form dissipating with a slight, almost indignant hiss.

Suddenly, Jo felt her muscles stiffen.  She was paralyzed where she stood.  Her eyes would only stare forward and her hearing was muffled.  She could barely breathe, and couldn't even whimper.  Terror flooded her mind, as she wondered what could do this.

"Demons don't abide in heaven," said a new voice she'd never heard before.  Her surroundings seemed to melt away, and she found herself chained to a high brick wall, her wrists cuffed and mouth tied tightly with a gag.

She could move again, but it didn't do her much good.  She looked up to see a woman's face -- stern, thin, but beautiful -- leaning close to hers.

"But I do," the woman said, grinning, a few inches from Jo now.  Jo leaned away from her, shutting her eyes.

Anna, she thought, as loudly as she could, hoping she could get her message across without words.  I could use a little protection right about now...

"You will be of great use to me," said the woman, pacing in front of Jo leisurely.  "But first... how did you banish my demon?" She was suddenly standing only inches from Jo again, and Jo gasped, feeling a blind rage and hatred emanating from this woman's being.

"Let her go, Ariel."

Jo sighed in relief.  Anna had heard her prayer.  The woman -- angel -- Ariel spun around to face her sister.

"Or what, Anna?  Are you going to defy me to protect this human?"  She was goading Anna now.  "You know that I am your superior now."

"Not my superior," Anna replied defiantly.  "My equal.  Now let her go!"

"How does it feel?" Ariel said, still pacing easily around the room and giving her sister a superior smirk.  "To know that I, who was once so loyal to you... now stand within sights of destroying something you have invested so much in?"

Jo saw Anna's eyes widen with sympathy.  For a fraction of a second this angered her, until Anna spoke again, and she began to understand.

"You are envious, sister.  Can't you see that?" Anna reached out for her sister's hand, but she jerked it away.  "You were told that Father had chosen you to look over the human realm--"

"Yes!" shouted Ariel, her graceful, easy composition gone. "Only so that my influence could wane, getting weaker and weaker over time, and He could assign human charges to you, and Castiel."  She laughed, spitting out her brother's name bitterly.  "He couldn't even take one and remain loyal.  And where is my place in all of this?"  Her mouth twisted into a grin.  "I'm going to be the one to convince the Michael Sword to take on his role," she said.  "I will at least have that part in Earthly matters."

Anna looked past Ariel, finding Jo's gaze.  Jo braced herself.

"If you won't let her go," said Anna, "I will."

"You wouldn't dare," Ariel said, but Anna had already raised her hand.  She snapped her fingers, and Jo was free.  Jo fell from the wall, her shackles disappearing into mid-air, and immediately reached for her angel knife--

Something knocked her from her feet -- another demon.  The knife was halfway across the room now, and as Jo pulled herself to her feet, she saw the demon closing in on Anna.  She scrambled for the blade, the demon and Ariel both moving more swiftly toward Anna than she could, even if she hadn't been knocked down.  She slashed at the demon, and as soon as it disappeared, so did Anna.

Jo felt a lump form in her throat.  She was standing face-to-face with Ariel again.  But the other angel disappeared with a flap of wings after her sister, leaving Jo alone.

She took a few raking breaths, then looked around.  Locating some stairs, she climbed out of the dungeon Ariel had transported her to.

"Some kind of heaven," she muttered, and slammed the great stone door shut behind her as best she could.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna helps Jo evade angels and demons alike, and they run into someone unexpected.

Jo didn't realize it at the time, but she was lucky to get out of the dungeon alive.  She didn't encounter any other demons as she scaled more steps, getting further and further away from the room where Ariel had intended to keep her and... what?  Use her to "convince the Michael sword to fulfill his role"?

She shook it off, opening another door, this one wooden.  Sure enough, it was an exit.  She came out on the side of a hilly expanse, a large, castle-like structure behind her and a wide, green meadow rolled out in front of her.  It was dark, but she could see a road in the distance, through a patch of strangely shaped trees.  Jo slogged across the field, which was wet with dew.  Jo supposed it was early morning in Heaven, and she wondered if time worked the same way here.

When she reached the road, it had begun to get a little lighter out.  Jo almost let herself slump in relief when she got to the road, but didn't get much of a chance.  As soon as she stepped on the pavement, she heard a loud beating in the distance.  It sounded ike helicopter blades.

They were helicopter blades.  And as Jo turned, breath baited, she saw search lights twirling from the vicinity of the sound's origin.  They were obviously trying to freak her out -- angels didn't need helicopters -- and it was working.  Jo began to run.

She didn't know how far she ran, but the helicopter didn't catch up.  Jo slowed and looked back again.  It was flying around leisurely now, almost the way Ariel had paced the room when she'd had Jo imprisoned.  They were biding their time for something.  Or -- Jo shuddered at the thought -- they had already found who they were looking for.

"Anna," she breathed, but kept going -- she could see something in the distance, a glint in the faint morning light.  As she came closer, she realized it was Sara's car.  Jo looked frantically around for any sign of her friend.  She was nowhere to be seen.

"S-Sara?" Jo called weakly, but the chopper blades had begun to grow louder.  She didn't have to look around to know they were coming for her now.  She climbed into the car, and found the key already in the ignition.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Jo muttered to herself, turning the engine and throwing the car into gear.  As she rolled off, Jo checked the rear-view, adjusting it.  They were still on her tail -- she drove faster.

"Hello, Jo."  The voice came from beside her, and made Jo jump, but she sighed with relief when she saw Anna's wide eyes staring back at her through a curtain of bright red hair.

"Jesus, Anna..." Jo muttered.  "I thought they'd got you."

Anna nodded.  "They had.  But I was able to escape.  Narrowly."

Jo looked at her for a long moment before focusing again on the road.  "Why did you leave me in that dungeon?"  She tried to sound casual, but the strain that was already present in her voice amplified the insecurity behind the question.

Anna closed her eyes.  "I was taking a chance -- and for that I am sorry."  She opened them again, focusing her gaze on Jo.  "I left hoping Ariel would follow, giving you a chance to escape.  And I was right."

Jo glanced at Anna again, mouth hanging open with an unspoken apology for having doubted her.

"If she hadn't followed, I would have come back for you immediately," Anna continued, defending her actions further, but Jo shook her head.

"No, no -- I understand," Jo said.  "If I'd been in your position, I would have done the same thing.  I think," Jo added, a little uncertain.  It was tough to imagine what it would be like to be an angel.

But Jo was pulled out of her reverie all too quickly.  A tall, thin figure with long hair had flung itself onto the roadway -- directly in the car's path.  Jo gasped, slamming on the brakes, and as the figure stood up, arms outstretched, they screeched to a stop inches away from it.

They made eye contact.

" _Ash?_ " Jo gasped, turning off the car and jumping out hurriedly.  She ran up to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders in greeting, then pulled back to inspect his face more closely.  "What are you doing here?"

This definitely wasn't another one of her memories -- Jo had never experienced anything like this before.  So how had Ash gotten there?  Her mind reeled.

"No time to explain," Ash said, looking back at the helicopter that was still closing on them.  "We'd better get out of here."

Jo looked back at Anna, who'd followed her out of the car.  Anna nodded, and they followed as Ash led them through a strangely dense patch of trees on the side of the road, leaving Sara's car behind them.

As they emerged from the brambles, Jo saw a familiar sight -- it was the Roadhouse again.  She couldn't tell if it was her Roadhouse, the one she'd left earlier on, and had simply moved, or if it was a different one entirely.  Jo's head spun.  She couldn't worry about these things right now.

Ash led them inside, locking the door behind him.  "Don't worry," he said, trying to reassure them.  "They've never bothered me here before, and I've stirred up my share of shit up here."

Anna did not look convinced.  "There are higher stakes now," she said.  "We don't know what they will do."  But as she said it, Jo sensed she was holding something back.

 Ash was behind the bar now, fishing underneath it for a beer.  "I bet you could use one of these," she said, offering one to Jo, but she declined.

"I appreciate it, Ash, but my head's cloudy enough as it is," she said.  "Are you going to explain what's going on?  How did you get here?  You're obviously not another one of my memories."

Ash smiled.  "You always did want to get straight to the point.  One of the things I like best about you."  His smile turned sad and faded.  "But how did you die...?"

"I'll explain later," Jo said, rolling her eyes.  Only Ash would point out her propensity for cutting to the chase and then try to change the subject.

But Ash was rolling into action now, pulling a laptop out from underneath the bar -- Jo wondered fleetingly how many things he kept under there -- and cracking it open.

"I detected a surge in demon activity," he said, punching a few keys.  His face showed characteristic thoughtfulness, and Jo found herself glad he was there, although he still hadn't fully explained how it was possible.  He looked up at her eagerly, and started talking excitedly -- the way he often had in life when figuring out a puzzle or challenge.  "I developed a method for travelling across peoples' separate chunks of Heaven," he said.  "It's -- it's complicated -- but I can do it.  This database shows demon activity," he said, turning the screen to face Jo and Anna.  "When I detected an upshoot on this plane, I decided to investigate.  I didn't expect to find you, but when I saw you coming, I thought you might be in trouble."

Jo sighed, shaking her head.  "You were right," she replied wearily.

"What's going on?" said Ash.

Jo was about to ignore the fact that she'd asked him the same question only moments ago, but when she opened her mouth to explain her side of the situation, Anna cut her off.

"We're being followed," Anna said, and Jo could tell from her cadence that she was choosing her words carefully.  "Our... pursuers... are unaware of your ability to transport us across the planes.  We've evaded them, for now, with your help."  Suddenly her eyes shone, and she regarded him with an expression of unrestrained gratitude.  "Thank you."

Ash smiled at her, nodding, but as he glanced down as his computer screen, his brown furrowed.  "What the--?"  He leaned in closer, tapping one key repeatedly a few times.  "I've never seen anything like this.  All this demon activity -- what are they doing in Heaven anyway?"

Jo circled around the bar so she could get a look at the screen over Ash's shoulder.  Ash pointed to three glowing white dots in the center of the display.  "This is us, and the Roadhouse," he said.  "And this..." He indicated an influx of glowing red pixels accumulating at the top of the screen.  They were coming closer, the red dots almost indistinguishable from one another, there were so many.  "Sweet Jesus," he breathed.

"Shit," Jo said, looking up at Anna across the bar.  "They're coming."

The walls of the Roadhouse, which Jo knew to be sturdy from years of experience watching barroom brawls between ungrateful customers, began to quiver.  The lights flickered on and off.  The door flew open, and the otherworldly creatures began to pour in, all black smoke and dark, sickly whispers.

"Close your eyes," Anna said, almost shouting above the din.  Jo and Ash obeyed, ducking behind the bar.  Jo saw only a flash of red behind her eyelids, and the demonic whispering came to a stop.

Ash and Jo both straightened, looking at Anna, jaws slack in awe.  Ash broke the silence.

"Thanks," he said weakly.

"You won't remember this," said Anna.

"What?" Ash looked at Jo in confusion.  Jo opened her mouth to protest, but in one swift motion, Anna reached both of her hands out and placed her fingers on Ash's and Jo's foreheads.

Anna and Jo reappeared back at the roadside where Sara's car was parked, just as they'd left it.  Jo pushed the angel away in anger.  "Why did you do that?" she railed.  "Why did you take away his memories?  He was _helping_ us!" She was close to tears now.  Ash had been the only thing that made sense here, the only piece of home she'd encountered.  All her life she'd thought that when she died, she'd be greeted in Heaven by the ones she'd loved who had passed away -- Ash was the closest thing to that she'd experienced since she got here.

And now he didn't even know she was here.

"He did help us," Anna said.  "I was trying to protect him.  The less he knows, the better."  She grabbed Jo by the arm, turning Jo so they were face to face. "Jo," she said, voice lower, more serious somehow.  "I'm trying to keep as many safe as I can.  Zachariah, Ariel, those demons -- they want you, and they want the Winchesters.  If Ash is involved, they'll target him, too."  She held Jo's gaze for a long time, until Jo finally looked down.

"Fine," Jo said.  "That's just fine.  You'll leave and I'll have to face this place alone, again, but that's fine."

Anna reached out and cupped Jo's cheek in her hand, wiping away the tears Jo wasn't even aware had been falling.  "I won't leave you again," she said.  "Not if I can help it."

Jo's lip twitched, and she almost smiled.  She was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions -- weighed down by the gravity of the whole situation, greived by the sudden loss of Ash -- and most of all, an indescribable emotion she felt whenever Anna was around--

Jo shuddered, and Anna let her hand fall, looking around.  She seemed to sense something that was beyond Jo's perception.

"Ariel is coming," she said, gripping Jo's shoulder again.  "Jo, you have to run.  I'll make sure she doesn't follow."

Jo's mouth fell open.  "What?  But -- you said you wouldn't leave --"

"I'm not leaving you," said Anna.  "You have to run!"

"No!" Jo flung her arms up, knocking Anna's hand away.  They stared at each other for a moment.

"You're making it difficult for me to protect you," Anna said, stepping closer to Jo, gaze unwavering.

"I don't care," Jo said defiantly, and didn't look down this time.  Anna had told her she wouldn't leave, and Jo wasn't going to let her this time.

"It's too late," came a steely voice.  Ariel was standing in front of the car.  Anna stepped in front of Jo, pulling an angel blade from her sleeve and assuming a protective stance.  Ariel smiled at her.  "You can't protect her anymore."

"Yes, I can," Anna said, lifting her chin and brandishing the blade.  Ariel laughed, and disappeared.  

Anna and Jo both looked around frantically.  "Where'd she go?" Jo whispered, and Anna whipped around, but it was too late -- Ariel had her, arms wrapped tightly around Jo's waist, and they took flight.

It wasn't like transportation with Anna.  Ariel wasn't merely zapping her from one place to another, like she had when she took her to the dungeon -- they were hurtling through space at unfathomable speeds, the wind whipping Jo's hair violently against her face and making her skin burn.

"Ariel!" she heard Anna scream, her voice muffled by the high winds.  "Give her back to me!"

"Sorry, sister," Ariel replied, tilting her wings slightly to veer away from Anna.  "I have other plans."  She removed one hand from Anna's waist, and tightened her grip painfully with the other.  Jo gritted her teeth, trying not to scream.

"No!" cried Anna.  Jo turned her head, and saw a mass of smoky black figures encircling the angel -- her angel.  She fell back, unable to defend herself against them.

"What did you do to her?" Jo screamed, beating her fists against her captor's torso and arms.  "Why can't she fight back?"

"Oh, child," Ariel said, her voice grating, like metal scraping agianst metal.  "Unlike your precious Anael, I still have influence among my brothers."

The last thing Jo heard was Anna screaming her name as the demons overtook her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariel, having captured Jo and incapacitated Anna, tortures Jo for information. Jo is saved again and left with a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there is a warning for violence but I just wanted to add an additional warning for torture and extreme violence. Proceed at your discretion.

Jo might has well have been in Hell.

Cold metal slid easily through the skin on her forearm, stinging with more ferocity as the same spot had been sliced open and healed multiple times.  She gritted her teeth, trying to hold out against the screams building in her gut as long as possible.

Ariel snapped her fingers, and one of the cuffs restraining Jo's wrists sprung open.  Jo shook as the woman took her hand, gently turning it over in her own, playing her own bony finger's across Jo's long, white ones.  Suddenly she grabbed Jo's index finger in her fist, and with a sudden, twisting motion, snapped the bone in two.

"Where can I find the Winchesters?" Ariel hissed, her face inches from Jo's.

"How the fuck should I know?" Jo shouted, but was reduced to whimpering once more as Ariel grasped her middle finger, snapping the next bone with the same ease.

"You were with them when you died," she said through gritted teeth.  "You knew their plans!  Tell me!"

"I don't know SHIT!" Jo snarled.

Ariel smiled grimly at her, letting Jo's hand with its mangled fingers drop to her side.  She lifted the knife before her eyes, turning it, so it reflected the faint glint of firelight that illuminated the dungeon.  Then she plunged the knife into Jo's gut.

Jo gave in to the screams.  It had always been a losing battle.

Ariel shoved the knife in further, and Jo's jaw dropped open, no longer producing sound.  She wondered briefly what would happen if she died here.  As if she'd read her mind -- and, Jo reflected weakly, she probably had -- Ariel began to laugh at her.  The sound made Jo sick to her stomach.

Or maybe that was the blade that Ariel was still slowly twisting.

"You can't die here." Ariel grinned, twisting the knife over and over, driving it deeper and deeper into Jo's gut.  "Think!  You'll never even see the Winchesters again.  Make it easy on yourself," she sneered, pulling out the blade with a sickening squelch.

Her eyes glinted with black glee.  She was clearly enjoying this.

"You're no angel," Jo said defiantly, but her voice was shaking.  "You're no better than a demon."  She spat in Ariel's face, and her saliva was red with blood.  "And I'm not telling you a damned thing."

Ariel shrieked, reeling back, and disappeared, the sound of furiously flapping wings echoing behind her long after she was gone.  Jo let out a sharp breath.  She moved her hand to touch the open wound on her stomach, but her wrists were once again cuffed to the dungeon wall.  Her stomach bled freely.

Jo surveyed her surroundings through the haze of pain, hoping to see the stairway again from which she'd escaped the first time Ariel had captured her.  The room was dark, but by the dim light provided by a single flaming torch mounted on a far wall, she could see that there was no way out.

She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the cold, hard brick, and a strange set of emotions came over her, one after the other.

First was a wave of relief, just for a moment of peace.  It was marred by sickening pain, of course, but so far it had been a constant bombardment -- never ending -- and Jo had thought the worst had been over when she'd died in that fiery explosion, her brave and selfless mother staying by her side until the end --

Then anger.  Indignation.  Seething, burning hatred.  She had been sent to Heaven, so why did this feel more like Hell?  If you were good in life, weren't you supposed to be rewarded?  Given paradise?  Not this.

Jo's lip quivered.  Frustrated, she shook her arms, trying to force her wrists out of the shackles, which didn't budge.  She kicked her heels against the walls, screaming until her throat was raw.

The thing that made it all so much worse was that Jo felt no hope.  Anna was dead, for all she knew -- the last Jo had seen of her, she'd been powerless, surrounded by a hoard of Ariel's demons.  And Jo knew -- something deep inside assured her -- that were she alive, Anna would have come to her aid.  Jo shut her eyes, letting her head hang, and a single tear fell.  It made a tiny splash as it made contact with Jo's blood on the stone floor, and the sound reverberated off the dungeon walls.

"Hello, Jo."

Jo's head snapped up, and she opened her eyes.  Her mouth flew open, heart jumping into her throat.  "Anna," she breathed, but found herself wincing -- it hurt to speak.

Anna was by her side in an instant, and with a touch, all of Jo's pain -- the cuts on her arms, the broken bones, the stab wound in her gut that had already started to fester, and even the rawness in her throat -- all melted away.  The shackles that held her sprung open, and Jo slumped forward, Anna's strong arms wrapping around her to keep her from falling.  As Jo steadied herself, Anna reached up to brush strands of blonde hair away from her eyes, before whispering, "I'm so sorry.  I'll get you out."

She let the backs of her fingers trail down Jo's cheek, still wet with tears.  They both disappeared.

They were in an open field now, not far from a road.  Jo's road, she thought.  They were near where Sara's car had been.  It was gone now.  She turned, and found Anna standing close, her eyes searching for Jo's.

"Are you all right?" she asked, and Jo could see that the angel's eyes were wide -- even wider than usual -- with emotion.  "I did everything, everything I could -- but Ariel's demons -- without my powers--" She looked down now, allowing her long red hair to cover her face.  Jo had never seen her so visibly ashamed.  "They overtook me," she continued.  After a pause, she added.  "Ariel wasn't the reason I lost contact with the Host."

Jo's brow furrowed.  "Well then, why would she say she was?"  She recalled Ariel's words as she'd whisked her off toward the dungeons for the second time:  "I still have influence among my brothers."

Anna shook her head.  "No doubt she tried to convince them of her reasons -- but it wasn't her doing."  Her eyes cast down again, and this time Jo thought she looked disappointed.  "It was Castiel."

"Cas?"  Jo's mind couldn't process this information.  She'd known Cas, if only briefly -- and liked him well enough.  The affection he had for Dean and Sam was clear, and reason enough for Jo to have taken to him instantly.  Why would he incapacitate the only angel Jo could rely on in Heaven?

"His reasons were just," Anna said, looking up -- but her eyes were far away; she looked past Jo's face.  "Don't let it worry you," she added, giving Jo a small smile.  It wasn't very convincing, Jo thought.

"How could I not?" Jo said, and, reaching up, cupped Anna's face in her hand.  Anna leaned into her touch, closing her eyes.

"Joanna Harvelle," Anna said quietly.  "You are a wonderful human."

Anna leaned in, brushing her lips softly against Jo's, and pulled back before the girl could decide whether to protest or reciprocate.  A smile played at Jo's lips -- this was a far cry from the sensations she'd been feeling only moments ago at the hands of another angel.

"What was that for?" Jo asked teasingly.  She still had it -- even in death, she could always make people blush if she really wanted to.  Anna's cheeks flushed.

"I never told you," Anna said, "But I Fell.  I was once human -- for a time."

Jo was taken aback.  "You mean, you chose to be human?"

Anna nodded.  "I remember well how to show affection -- a kiss."  She smiled, and this time it was genuine, lighting up her eyes and making Jo smile, too.  "That was part of the reason I chose to Fall.  To feel."

Jo searched her face, confused.  "Don't you feel now?"

Anna's lip twitched, and she broke her gaze.  She looked strained, as though struggling with something internally.

"Yes," she said, finally, looking up again.  Her eyes brimmed with tears, and Jo was the one who moved in this time, throwing her arms around Anna's neck and pulling her close.

"Thank you for saving me," she said, and pressed her lips fiercely against the angel's.  "Thank you," she said again, between kisses.

They began to melt into one another, but Anna pulled back.  Jo fumbled for her.  Comfort was what she needed now, and this had been so strange and comforting.  Anna pushed her away gently.

"We aren't finished."

Jo shook her head, trying to snap herself out it.  Anna was right.  They were still in danger.  "Ariel is gonna know I'm gone any minute, and she's gonna come looking for me."  She shuddered.  "I can't go back there."

Anna pressed her fingers to Jo's ribs, and Jo reeled back. It stung.  "What was that?" she said, unable to conceal a little bit of anger.

"I've carved an Enochian sigil into your ribs.  Ariel won't be able to find you -- but you must go, soon."  Anna said, her voice suddenly urgent.

Jo nodded, but she was hesitant.  "Aren't -- are you coming with me?" she asked timidly.

Anna frowned and averted her gaze.  "I have to stop this," she said.  "I have to stop this whole thing, and then you can be at peace."

Jo was taken aback.  "Anna, you can't stop all this by yourself."  She walked forward, grabbing Anna by the shoulders.  "This is huge, this is the Apocalypse!"  She felt tears burning at the corners of her eyes, and without thinking, the thing she really meant slipped through.  "Please don't leave me again."

The tears in Anna's eyes began to stream down her face, and she pulled Jo close to her.  She kissed the blonde girl's forehead.  "I'm sorry," she said.  "It's the only way you can be safe."

Jo shook her head.  "No," she said.  "No!  The only way I can be safe is if you're here with me."

"That's not true.  I failed you."  The sheer weight of guilt in Anna's voice pierced Jo through the heart.  "I won't do it again."

She pulled her angel blade from its hiding place in her sleeve.

"Take this," Anna said, holding it out to Jo.

"What?" she said, taking it reluctantly.  "You want me to kill Ariel myself?"

"This is the only thing that can," Anna responded.

"How will you protect yourself?" Jo asked.  Before Anna could respond, she went on, "What are you gonna do?"

Anna turned, taking a step away from Jo.  "I can... bend time, manipulate it, if I wish," she said in a low voice.  She didn't seem eager to elaborate.

Jo moved to grab her shoulder, turn her, ask her to explain -- but Anna was gone. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo seeks help in completing the mission Anna left her.

There it was, the thick patch of trees he’d led her and Anna through, and she knew behind it was some version of the Roadhouse.  She tore through the brambles, pushing aside branches and stumbling over roots but not stopping for anything.  Ariel would be looking for her by now, and Jo couldn’t let herself slip back into the angels’ clutches.  
  
As the scenery began to clear, Jo saw it.  The Roadhouse was there – but there was no light on.  Jo hoped fervently that Ash was just turning out the lights to be cautious – then remembered how Anna had wiped his memories.  
  
She took her chances, pushing open the heavy bar door, but as she poked her head in, she found the place completely silent.  The lights were off, the chairs tabled.  There was no one here.  
  
Jo tread lightly as she entered, weary of a trap.  What if Ariel had known she would come here?  Any moment she could be ambushed by demons again.  She wielded her angel blade, but, thinking quickly, pulled out the knife – still, thankfully, concealed in her sock – and held it in the other hand.  Angels, demons – she wanted to be able to take them all.  
  
But nothing was happening.  The bar was truly empty.  Jo opened the door to the back room tentatively, but they were all vacant – even Ash’s old room was unlocked and unoccupied.  “Ash?” she said, and then tried louder.  “ASH!”  
There was no answer.  
  
Jo sighed, sliding down into a sitting position on the inside of the bar.  What could she do now?  She couldn’t enlist Ash’s help – should she sit here and wait for Ariel to find her?  Running away from her and killing her seemed to be two goals that were at odds with each other, but Jo wasn’t eager to see that stern face and hear that metallic voice in her ear again.  
  
Tears stung at the corners of her eyes, but Jo wiped them away fiercely.  Anna trusted her to do this.  She would do it.  But she needed Ash’s help – by herself she would be no match for Ariel, her demon minions and the other angels, but he had the technology and the smarts – Jo thought, with his help, they might at least stand a snowball’s chance in Hell.  
  
Jo was struck with an idea.  Grasping at the knife, she began to carve into the bar, chipping away at the wood.  It took a long time – the wood was sturdy, and the blade meant for stabbing, not carving – but she winnowed away at the wood until a message appeared.  
  
“ASH – SEND HELP – JO.”  
  
Jo’s vision began to swim as she carved.  She didn’t know how long it had been since she’d died, but it had been at least a day – and she’d lost a lot of blood.  She didn’t know how these things worked in Heaven, and if she even needed to sleep, but the anxiety she had been feeling ever since she stepped foot outside the first Roadhouse weighed down on her, and her body felt heavy, exhausted.  Knife still in her hand, and angel blade laid protectively across her lap, Jo closed her eyes, curled into a ball leaned against the inside of the bar, and drifted off to sleep.  
  
A hand was on her shoulder, gently shaking her awake.  “Jo,” a voice said.  “Jo, wake up!”  
  
She opened her eyes, and saw a familiar face framed at the back with long, dirty blonde hair.  
  
“Ash?” she asked, groggily, fumbling for the weapons, which had fallen to the floor at her side.  
  
“The very same,” he said, grinning, and pulled her up into a tight embrace.  
  
Jo closed her eyes, and squeezed him to indicate she was grateful for his presence.  “Did you get my message?” she said, pulling away.  
  
“Message?”  Ash looked confused.  He shook his head.  “I didn’t get a message.”  
  
Jo looked down at the words she had carved into the bar.  They were still there.  “Then – how did you know I was here?” she asked.  Unless Anna’s memory wipe hadn’t been effective…  
  
Jo wasn’t confused for long.  “Sam and Dean told me you were dead,” he explained.  “As soon as they left, I came looking for you.”

Jo’s heart sank.  “Sam and Dean?  They’re dead, too?”   
  
Ash shrugged, smirking.  “They won’t stay that way for long.  I’ve seen ‘em up here more times than I can count,” he said.  He punched her shoulder playfully.  “Don’t worry about them.”   
  
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Jo said, pulling him into another quick hug.   
  
“Yeah, I may not have got your message, but I see it now.  What’s wrong?”   
  
“I don’t know if I can explain it all,” she said, and her head was suddenly spinning.  “There’s this angel named Ariel…”   
  
She told Ash about Ariel’s jealousy, how she’d joined up with the forces who wanted to bring the Apocalypse, and wanted to use Jo as a pawn to get Dean to accept his fate as Michael’s vessel.  When she got to the part about Anna, her voice faltered.   
  
“She… she’s been trying to save me this whole time, Ash,” she said, lip quivering.  “I can’t let her down.  I have to stop Ariel.”   
  
Ash nodded.  “We have to stop her,” he corrected,” and Jo smiled at him.  “But how do we do it?  We need a plan.”   
  
Jo pulled out the angel blade Anna had given her.  “I have this,” she said.  “It’ll kill an angel if you stab ‘em with it.  I got this, too.”  She handed Ash the knife.  “It banishes angels.  Works on demons up here, too.  I think it’s got something to do with the fact they’re not supposed to be here.”   
  
Ash took the blade, looking over the symbols.  “That’ll be it, all right,” he said.  “These sigils disrupt angelic energy, so if Ariel’s protecting those demons and giving them the right to be here, this knife will send ‘em on their merry way.”   
  
Jo raised her eyebrow at him.  “You read Enochian?”   
  
Ash shrugged.  “I picked it up.”

Jo smiled incredulously at him, taking the knife and noting how steady Ash's hands were as he held it out to her.  She was shaking like a leaf.

"We've got work to do," she said.


End file.
